No Sunshine (Caryl story)
by EastorWest
Summary: Its my 1st Caryl s starts right after the Rick's disappearance and will have moments of the time jump of 6 years between Carol and Daryl centric.
1. Chapter 1

She had been following his tracks for 3 days now.  
She feels angry, frustrated and aimless but she cannot give up. He is faster and not easy to track, he is light in the woods its like his home.  
She is afraid to spend another night alone in the woods, it's so dense she had hardly slept. She thought she should have let Jerry stay with her when he was insisting but she did not know how much time it will take or how things will go if she finds him.

Then suddenly she felt something behind her like a shadow, she took out her knife and turned back, he was standing there with an angry mad face

"what the hell are you doing here" that's all he said and started walking she followed, she wanted to hug him, lean on him and cry and let him cry, but he was not even looking at her she did not answer him

When it was dark he stopped and started making started placing traps around them.

He is now sitting watching the fire intensely ,she placed herself beside him

"why are you here" he asked

"You know why" she said gently

"You don't have to "he said, after a moment

"I have to and you know that" she said

They looked at each other for sometime Then she reached out and touched his face soothingly

"why don't you sleep I will keep watch "she said

He nodded his head very slowly, then he let himself lie down and closed his eyes she fought her sleep for another night

For the next 2days they are just walking around in the woods He does not say anything, and she did not dare to ask, he need his time she understands.

she will wait until he is ready

she is just following him like she has nowhere else to go

They came around a spot near to the still water of the river, the place looks nice, and she was tired to bones. She went to water and washed her face and hands, took off her boots and let her feet touch the water then she sits in nearby still in water. He came around and started pacing around like he had been doing for last 2 days whenever she slows down. He will just walk around to let her know that he is waiting but not say a word

"I am tired" she said softly

He did not say a thing ,placed his belongings near a tree and started placing traps

"its not dark yet"  
"Hmm"  
"If you want we can go on after a while"  
she is a little afraid if he is mad

"nah you need to sleep"  
And she slept, it was not even dark yet

-  
She had let him sleep around midnight when she was feeling better after the rest and now there is sunshine ,its beautiful. He woke up after a while she was ready to start the day, but he is not moving. He is just thinking something sitting cross -legged. She let herself sit beside him

"Maybe I should get a camp here" he started after a while of silence

"what"  
"It may take some time"  
she remained silent

"You should go back to kingdom"  
she wondered if its because she was tired yesterday

"Daryl I-"  
"nah ain't right, you should go check on your kid, I will be fine"  
"I am worried about Michhone maybe I should check on her first"  
"hmm"  
"why don't you come with me I will help you get some things to set up the camp then you can go back"  
"I will go later, fine now. You should start today"  
He does not want her here, may be he wants to be alone

"You promise I will found you here when I come next time"  
He looked at her then he nodded his head

"ok"  
He walked her till the known roads she found the courage to give him a hug,she had hugged him before but now he seems so distant. He accepted though and parted quickly saying she should not waste any daylight Just when she was about to turn, she called him

"Daryl"  
"Yeah"  
"Why did you chose that place, Is it because of the sunshine view" she asked with a little smile

He hold her gaze for a moment then said "Ain't me who chose the place"  
He turned quickly and started his back track

"Ain't no sunshine without you" he said to himself quietly


	2. Chapter 2

She comes with a smile and goes with a tear. That is how it has been for months now.

Sometimes she says she is on the way to hilltop and sometimes she just rolls her eyes when he asks why she is there.

Truth is he likes her visits but he is worried about her and he does not understand what is going on between them.

He is fine, he really is. He is always fine in the wild. Everyone knows that and she knows the best yet she comes to check on him like monthly visits to your child staying with your ex. The reason he does not like her frequent visits is it's not safe anymore. It has been around 2 years they had lost Rick and they had been attacked by 4 different groups. He knows she is strong but he is worried nevertheless.

Maybe she feels the same for him, even though she knows he is fine by himself she wants him to be back with their friends.

Now after 35 days again she is there waiting for him at his camp when he came back with his kills. By seeing her sitting there made him smile although he always pretends he does not care about her visits he knows if he had been a dog he would be wagging his tail.

When he comes around her, she smiles to him not the usual one, something is wrong he can sense. He let his eyes go over her body to see any injuries, she looks fine.

But there is something she is trying to hide, he did not ask anything. Looked over her again her hair has grown to her shoulders its in a bad shape from the travel

"some bird made a nest over your head" he said with a smirk

She looked at him then looked down to her boots

"Mean" that's all she said, he can see the smile on her lips

"It's getting dark, you came from morning"

She usually comes in the morning and leaves by the evening it takes around 2 hours to her from kingdom

"I just came an hour back…Umm..do you think its ok if I stay the night…I promise I don't snore"

She has that teasing tone of her but there is something else

"You snore like a tiger,aint the first time you are sleeping with me"

She looked at him with her big eyes, trying not to laugh

"so, you remember the positions then pookie"

"stop" shaking his head he started the fire and busied himself to cook something

"do you want me to cook something for you, it has been a long time" she said

He is hungry and he miss her cooking. He just shrugged his shoulders and she took over.

Now he has nothing to do but just look at her. When she usually visits, they have small talks, she helps him in his hunts or tracking then she leaves before sunset. She never pushes him to talk more which he appreciates but tonight she will stay. He does not know how she is going to sleep in the tent, he just sleeps in his old sleeping bag he does not have any pillow or blankets. She had slept in roads with him but now she must have been used to the comfort of bed.

"You have a sleeping bag?" he asked. She does not he can see she has not brought anything this time not even her friendly package she always left for him with some snacks and medicines

"No, I will sleep in the ground "

"You can have my sleeping bag but it aint clean"

She just nods her head

They ate in silence and he finished everything that was left in the pot after the first serving and also finished the half of Carol's dinner as she gave it to him with a smile saying she is not hungry

They checked the traps again and get back to the tent which is too small for two persons yet they both got side by side spreading his sleeping bag without the need to say a word

After sometime laying on his back unable to sleep he asked

"Everything alright"

He did not hear anything from her so moved his head to see if she had fallen asleep, she was not she was just staring something in the distant

He reached out with his hand brushing his fingers slightly over her hair of her forehead then she looked at him

"You alright" he asked again

She just keeps staring at him for a long time, he can sense her mind rushing with thoughts, he wished he knew better words to tell, she looks afraid and so small

"Daryl, I think I got bit"


	3. Chapter 3

She has been babbling for last 10 minutes or 15 minutes or an hour he has no idea

The only thing he remembers is that she is bitten and would die soon. She scooted to his side and calling his name placing her hand around his neck

"Daryl,Daryl"

"what do you mean by you think" he got his voice back

"How about we sleep now and talk later ,I will be fine for some time"

"Show me"

"Daryl.."

"Show me" he cut her off and stood up giving a hand to her pulled her to feet

She looked at him and then took a deep breath

"It might not be a walker,I am just not sure" she said shrugging her shoulders

"Show me" he repeated

She turned around and pulled her top over head

Her back is full of scratches, red angry wounds

He switched on the solar torch and tried to look closely

She put a finger around her right shoulder

"I felt teeth around here" she pointed out the area in her back

Its blue bruises and red scratches he cannot make out exactly any marks but there are deep cuts which might be from one teeth

He lowered his head in her shoulder and took deep breath

"I am not sure" he said with a broken heart

She placed a kiss in his forehead and pull her top back

"let's sleep"

He is unable to think feels like this a dream,some bad wants to cry but tears are not feels like there is an apple around his throat and he cannot speak or cry or breathe.

She pulled him to lie down with her and placed her small head in his shoulder

"You will be fine. I know,you are strong"

He pulled her closer smelling the top of her head

"Daryl,remember I love you,I have always loved you"He can feel she is trying not to does not know what she means

He tightens his hold around her almost pulling her over him

If she dies today he knows that she had loved him but she will never know that he had loved her too and he cannot say this now she deserves better than some pity love declaration said before death

He closed his eyes and try to feel her smell,her touch, the way she breathes ,the way she nuzzles in his arms and he just hope that they are wrong and this is not the last time he has hold her.


	4. Chapter 4

Carol didn't die. It's been 2 days now she is sleeping in his tent. She did get a fever the first night when he almost felt like his worst nightmare has come true but she was better by the next evening.

She had fall down during an attack to Kingdom when she followed the men to finish all of them and the horse got injured making her fall over some walker. she had quickly taken care of the walkers but in the chaos of killing the walkers and stumbling over bushes she was not sure the back-shoulder injury was from walkers or wild branches or bushes.

She is not dying he is sure of it now and she will get better in a day or two. And then she will go back to her family. A lot of questions are troubling inside his mind especially the words she said that night.

He knows she loves him, he is not a fool he can see it in her eyes but its not the same way he loves her. He was fine but now he cannot forget those words its like there is something untold between them. He wants to ask her what does she mean that she had always loved him then why she is with another man but cannot ask her he does not know which answer he is afraid of really, she loves him like a friend? Like a brother? Or she had loved him like a stray dog? Since she is married to someone else it's not that kind of love.

The next morning, she was better. When he woke up, she had been awake and made coffee which she is sipping sitting near the water, lost in thoughts. He pours some coffee over his cup and made himself seated beside her, watching her closely.

"You feeling better" He asked

She nodded and then gave him a small smile.

"Looks like my time has not come yet. "she said looking towards the water.

Daryl watched how the early sunshine is giving her skin a golden look. Her silver hair falling over her face giving her an angelic look. She is not smiling, she does not look happy but she looks beautiful and real. A mixture of emotions across her face he cannot stop his hand to go and lift her chin towards him see her eyes. She again smiled a little and looked into him holding his gaze.

"I really thought I was going to meet Sophia"

His hand dropped from her face. His breathe got heavy the glimpse of walker Sophia came across his mind and he closed his eyes.

"I dreamed I was playing with her hide and seek, here in your camp. You are helping her to get the right place to hide and distracting me to other places "she said with a smile and continued

"Then we could not find her, when I opened my eyes it took me a minute to realise it was not real"

He does not know what to say, she never speaks about Sophia to him after the farm and he realised that it still hurts him to think about that little girl even after so many years. She placed her hand on his and gave a little squeeze. They sat their hand in hand without another word.

After sometime he asked breaking the silence

"So…You want to head home? Does anyone even know you are here?"

"No, I ..I came straight here ,there is a good chance they might think I am dead"

"Why?" He should not have asked but he wants to know

"Why what"

"Why You came here, Kingdom was near to you, you could have passed out on the way. You slept for more than 2 days due to that "

She shrugged her shoulders

"I don't know Daryl people do crazy things when they think are near death"

She is not looking at him, she is does not want to talk about it. He did not push.

But she continued after a moment

"Maybe I just wanted to make sure that you are fine and ..and you should know that you are important to me."

The damn apple is back in his throat and again he is not finding words to say or enough air to breath

Then he walked away from her and started cleaning his bike. She is better but she cannot go by herself he will have to drop her off and working on the bike will also keep his mind busy for some time.

It's the first time in his life that Daryl wished he had a child then Carol would have stayed with him playing hide and seek with the kid, teasing him, sleeping near him keeping her small head on his shoulder like she had done the last 2 nights.

After dropping Carol at the Kingdom gates, he came back around sunset to his camp. He didn't go inside and she didn't force him which he is thankful for but now he felt lonely. For last 3 days she was there and although she slept the whole time and he was worried that she might die they were the best days of his last 3 years. He came back from his thoughts when he heard a crying sound, he followed it and then he founds it, trapped in one of his traps is a little puppy

He gets the puppy out and carried him back to his tent cuddling in his arms the puppy was making little sounds but looks comfortable. It's a boy a little smile formed in his face .May be Carol will smile more the next time she visits.


End file.
